February 02, 2010

New space to house False Memory Syndrome Foundation Archives and the John Dewey Library

Amherst, NY—Thanks to a very generous donation, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) has broken ground on a major expansion of their CFI Libraries. Samuel D. Schack, PhD, of Buffalo, New York, donated $100,000 to complete the Special Collections Room and establish the False Memory Syndrome Foundation Library Archives. CFI is a secularist think tank located in Amherst, New York, and founded by Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University at Buffalo.

“This donation will allow us to create a centrally located space for all the materials given to us over the past several years by the FMSF and process them to make them available for researchers,” said Timothy Binga, director of the CFI Libraries.

Dr. Pamela Freyd, founder and executive director of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, said, “This tremendous gift means that the letters from families (identification removed), the videotapes, the books, the legal documents, and the outrageous flyers and advertisements that fully document the existence of the tragic recovered memory phenomenon can be available to researchers, not just now but also for years in the future. The FMSF Archives will be a reminder of all of the devastation that can take place when people who may have the best of intentions ignore the lessons of science.”

The Special Collections Room will be created in the basement of the 2005 building. Part of the donation will cover lighting, carpeting, and wall construction. Library shelving acquired in 2009 from Niagara University will be used in these spaces.

The FMSF Archives space will also be constructed, and shelving, filing cabinets, and media cabinets will be added as a result of this donation.

The expanded space will also house The John Dewey Library, a vast collection of books on humanism, naturalism, science, and philosophy. A special bust of Dewey commissioned by CFI will complement the collection.

The Center for Inquiry Libraries (
www.cfilibraries.org
) contains the libraries and archives of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and the Council for Secular Humanism, as well as those of the Center for Inquiry and their related organizations. Located in Amherst near the University at Buffalo’s North Campus, CFI Libraries are considered the foremost libraries in the world relating to skepticism, humanism, American Philosophical Naturalism, and freethought, as well as world-class in the areas of the paranormal, fringe science, pseudoscience, and related topics. The Libraries are a member of OCLC, NYLink, Western New York Library Resources Council (WNYLRC), and Ask Us 24/7 Virtual Reference Service provided through WNYLRC.

The Center for Inquiry/Transnational, a nonprofit, educational, advocacy, and scientific-research think tank based in Amherst, New York, is also home to the Council for Secular Humanism, founded in 1980; and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP), founded in 1976. The Center for Inquiry’s research and educational projects focus on three broad areas: religion, ethics, and society; paranormal and fringe-science claims; and sound public policy. The Center’s Web site is
http://www.centerforinquiry.net
.